The UN Women has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening policy frameworks, enhancing digital safety, and promoting accountability for online harms in Nigeria.

Nyara Gumbonzvanda, deputy executive director for Normative Support at UN Women, said this at a press conference on Saturday in Abuja.

The press conference was on Ms Gumbonzvanda’s high-level mission to Nigeria and commemoration of the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

She said that the visit was to deepen partnerships, reinforce national leadership, and accelerate collective action to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in Nigeria.

“A critical area of concern remains technology-facilitated GBV, which is rising globally and nationally. Between 16 per cent and 58 per cent of women worldwide experience some form of online or technology-facilitated GBV, depending on the region. UN Women is supporting the government and stakeholders in strengthening policy frameworks, enhancing digital safety, and promoting accountability for online harms,” she said.

She commended the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening legislation that protects women and girls and advances women’s participation in governance, and called for effective legal frameworks and inclusive governance.

Ms Gumbonzvanda decried the low representation of women at the National Assembly, which she said stood at only 3.8 per cent, far below the global average of 27.2 per cent.

She, therefore, emphasised the need for legislative reforms such as affirmative action, quotas, and the proposed special seats bill, which she described as globally recognised tools to accelerate women’s participation.

”This is critical because globally, nearly one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Effective legal frameworks and inclusive governance are essential to reversing this trend,” she said.

On insecurity in Nigeria, she called for the release of abducted girls and reaffirmed the need to ensure that every girl has the right to security and education. She listed the impact of UN Women’s work in communities, including the commissioning of new WASH facilities.

She said that the rehabilitation of the agro-processing centre in Kwali was also being undertaken to improve women’s safety, reduce time burdens, and expand income-generating opportunities.

”UN Women will continue to mobilise partnerships across government, development partners, and the private sector to ensure that frontline organisations and national institutions have the resources required to deliver lasting change,” she said.

On her part, Beatrice Eyong, UN country representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, commended the media for amplifying issues affecting women and girls in the country.

 (NAN)